Common features of plosive, fricative, nasal consonants

features of plosive, fricative, nasal

State the common features of plosive, fricative, nasal consonants in the English language

1. The common features of plosive consonants:

In the articulation of all plosives, the soft palate is raised so the air-passage can not go through either the nose or the mouth. The organs of speech touch each other; the air-stream is completely obstructed in the mouth for a short time. When the organs of speech separate suddenly, the complete obstructed air-passage is released, the air-passage rushes out the narrowing with plosion [ p t d k g ]

2. The common features of fricative consonants:

In the articulation of all fricatives, the soft palate is raised so that no air-stream can go through the nose and it is forced to go through the mouth. The organs of speech are closed to each other and form a narrowing and when the air –passage is pushed through this narrowing, friction is made [ f v s z θ ð ʃ ʒ h ] (9 )

3. The common features of nasals:

In the articulation of all nasals, the vocal cords are approached together, held loosely and vibrate. The air-stream does not pass through the mouth, it is prevented by a complete closure in the mouth at some points. When the soft palate is lowered the air-stream goes through the nose without an audible friction./.